1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin wrapping machine and method adapted to stack a predetermined number of inserted coins and to wrap the stacked coins, while detecting the wrapped stack of coins with an insufficient or excess number of coins in the wrapping section.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device for detecting s an insufficient/excess number coins wrapped by a coin wrapping section is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. 3-612.
The device wraps coins by feeding stacked coins into the wrapping section, then feeding wrapping paper, moving upper and lower clamping nails so as to clamp the upper and lower ends of the wrapping paper. The height of the stacked coins is measured, based on the upper and lower clamping nails abutting against the upper and lower ends of the stacked coins. That is, an insufficient or excess number of coins in the wrapped stack of coins is detected by detecting the amount of movement of the upper and lower clamping nails as absolute position data with a rotary encoder, calculating the height of the stacked coins from the detected absolute position data, calculating the difference between the height of the stacked coins calculated from the absolute position data by the rotary encoder and a predetermined reference data by a comparison device, and determining whether the calculated value is in an allowable range.
However, according to the above method for detecting the number of coins, based on the amount of movement of the clamping nails, even when the number of the coins is insufficient, the stacked coins are wrapped. That is, stacks of coins with an insufficient or excess number of coins are wrapped as well as the stacked coins with the normal number of coins. Therefore, there is the problem that, when the wrapped stacks of coins with an insufficient or excess number of coins are mixed with the wrapped stacks of coins having the desired number of coins, the wrapped stacks of coins with an insufficient or excess number of coins cannot be distinguished from the others.
The object of the present invention is to provide a coin wrapping machine which visually distinguishes wrapped stacks of coins with an insufficient or excess number of coins from wrapped stacks of coins with the correct number of coins.
In a first aspect of the present invention, the coin wrapping machine comprises: a coin feeding device for feeding a plurality of coins one by one; a stacking device for stacking the fed coins; a wrapping paper winding and clamping device for performing a wrapping operation to produce a wrapped stack of coins by winding a wrapping paper around the circumference of the stacked coins, and clamping the wrapping paper by a pair of upper and lower clamping nails by moving the respective nails upwardly and downwardly; an insufficient/excess number detecting device for detecting an insufficient or excess number of the wrapped stack of coins; and a wrapping paper multiple winding control device for directing the wrapping paper winding and clamping device to perform the wrapping operation twice or more for the wrapped stack of coins when an insufficient or excess number of coins is detected by the insufficient/excess number detecting device.
When an insufficient or excess number of coins is detected by the insufficient/excess number detecting device, the wrapping paper multiple winding control device directs the wrapping paper winding and clamping device to perform the wrapping operation twice or more for the wrapped stack of coins. The wrapped stacks of coins with the insufficient or excess number of coins can be visually distinguished from the normally wrapped stack of coins.
In a second aspect of the present invention, the wrapping paper multiple winding control device produces an incomplete clamped portion by decreasing the distance of movement of the clamping (crimping) nails in the second and subsequent wrapping operations from that in the first wrapping operation.
When an insufficient or excess number of coins is detected by the insufficient/excess number detecting device, the wrapping paper multiple winding control device directs the wrapping paper winding and clamping device to perform the wrapping operation twice or more for the wrapped stack of coins. In the second and subsequent wrapping operations, the distance of movement of the upper clamping nail 18 is shorter than that in the first wrapping operation. Therefore, the clamping action is stopped incompletely so that an incompletely clamped portion is intentionally produced at the clamped edge portions of doubly or more wrapped stack of coins. Accordingly, the wrapped stack of coins with an insufficient or excess number of coins can be visually distinguished from the normally wrapped stack of coins by the condition of the wrapping paper which has been incompletely clamped and has been wrapped more times than usual.
In a third aspect of the present invention, the wrapping paper multiple winding control device has a limiting device for limiting the movement of at least one of the upper and lower clamping nails in the second and subsequent wrapping operations to be shorter than that in the first wrapping operation.
The limiting device limits the distance of movement of the upper or lower clamping nail to be shorter than that in the first wrapping operation. Therefore, the clamping action is stopped incompletely, and a distinct incompletely clamped portion can be produced at the upper or lower clamped portion of the doubly or more wrapped stack of coins.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the wrapping paper multiple winding control device has a limiting device for limiting the movements of both the upper and lower clamping nails in the second and subsequent wrapping operations to be shorter than that in the first wrapping operation.
The limiting device limits the distance of movements of the upper and lower clamping nails to be shorter than that in the first wrapping operation. Therefore, the clamping action is stopped incompletely, and a distinct incompletely clamped portions can be produced at both ends of the coins wrapped twice or more.